2019 – the Year of Action

No doubt, this year will be a multifaceted one. It will also be a year, in which your research and teaching can have an even greater impact.

We acknowledge that the distinction between ‘digital’ and ‘physical’, between ‘online’ and ‘offline’, once seemingly unambiguous, has begun to blur thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones and personal location data, ad and experience targeting, connected devices, wearable technology, the Internet of Things, and additive capabilities like 3-D printing.

BUT what does that mean exactly and how does ‘action’ relate to your work in Higher Education?

The convergence of physical and digital present us with the opportunities to walk on impactful new pathways of teaching and learning. If the digital and physical are merged intentionally, we can create meaningful and integrated human experiences that prepare our students for the ‘new world’ ahead of them. As we all know, this world is changing and is it changing fast.

If we consider the current students the future, we will need to ask ourselves how exactly we can shape their experiences, so they are in accordance with the acceleration of change and in alignment with our rigorous academic expectations.

This is not an easy problem to tackle. We will need to connect with each other and with educators beyond our campus to adequately address that challenge. If you can, join us to discuss your ideas, strategize our own digital learning and contribute to the development of an institutional guideline that assists all parties in the increasingly digital instruction and interactions with our students.

Please participate in the Biannual Meeting next week to actively influence the development of digital teaching and learning on our campus. We need you.